While I was in the transition period before moving to Australia, I began to journal. It was a way to process what I was leaving and what was to come. I wrote how I believed that I would be building relationships that would create a new home away from home. Each day since I've given words to the events that have unfolded. This rhythm of routine has taught me to slow down and allow the space to connect my thoughts and emotions to what is going on externally. Someday, I'll begin to read through these pages to see the progression from a different perspective.
April and May were some of my busiest months, yet they were so life-giving! As a team, we went on a two-part outreach. The first week we were in Jarlmadangah Burru, and the other two were in the town of Kununurra. A highlight from this trip was having a yarn with one of the Mums in the community. While sitting outside, I heard her share about how she came to know the loving care of Papa God at a young age. Listening to jarring memories, joy flickered from within her as she shared that she would talk to God and trust for a miracle. He listened to her and intervened. Tears ran down my cheeks while the glow of the setting sun shone on the red hills surrounding us. As the only Christian in her community, she felt so encouraged by us being able to pray with her and give her an audio Bible. Her faith was a great encouragement to me. This interaction further showed me that fellowship is a gift.
We had a healthcare worker from Perth join us too. There were many opportunities for her passion and skill as a physiotherapist to be practised. It was a joy to expand our ability to care for people, meeting their physical needs. Watching this take place brought excitement as I could envision part of the dream to have a healthcare ministry here in the Kimberley.
There is no place like the Kimberley
After returning home from the three-week outreach, Heather and I quickly repacked our bags and hopped on a flight to Brisbane, Queensland. There was an opportunity to meet with other YWAM bases for a conference. The focus was worship and prayer. Worship morning and evening, prayer through the night, and making connections through the day. Seeing different parts of Australia, like Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast, was incredible. But being with other young people who are wildly passionate and so gifted was deeply refreshing. This trip marked the first time that we, as YWAM Broome, left the state and were able to meet in person with a greater part of the Australian YWAM family.
A glimpse into it
Wanting to make the most of the trip over East, I decided to book some time for rest post-conference. I had a voucher for a hotel on the Gold Coast for a holiday that I was supposed to take last year. Having this rest allowed me to think deeper about things I felt God placing on my heart. It was perfect timing.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast
"When are you coming home?"
That is the question that people have asked me the most. And for the longest time, it has been pretty up in the air. July had been the original thought, but that was 2020. Somewhere along the line, I asked God about the specific timing of returning to Canada. I sensed this response of, "You'll know." I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I didn't need to have it all figured out.
Fast forward some time, and many "I don't know" responses later to friends and family, July started bobbling around in my mind. With prayer and open communication, July 2022 seemed to be where I felt God leading me. Rewind to the beginning of June, and I was again reminded of the "You'll know." I knew I was supposed to be leaving in a month. My team knew too. And yet, I still didn't have anything booked. One evening, while sifting through my many tabs of Google Flights, I thought about how I felt God say that I would know. I felt entirely perplexed. Was it the flight with the lowest price on some random day? Or should I be timing it out before the team goes on their upcoming outreach? How was I supposed to 'just know?' I was trying to make something click, but nothing was.
And then it happened.
Never in my life had I felt that what was happening to me was a dream. The times where I had let my mind wander to imagine what that sweet reunion would be like was happening, but nothing at all like the ways I had envisioned it.
Through this unforeseen, completely overwhelming surprise, I then knew. I will be flying home with my Mom and Dad in July. It's like I could sense God smiling. He knew and met my uncertainty with that simple response. I held onto it. It didn't quite make sense at the time, but as events unfolded, I knew, just like He answered.
When I arrived back in Broome from my trip to Queensland, I recognised that there had been a shift. In my mind, Broome has been this circle. My life here, the work I do, these people that I've grown to love deeply. Then there is Canada, a circle of its own too. It was once so familiar, but I've changed in many ways as an individual since living there. And not just myself of course, but the nation as a whole. When my parents came, these circles suddenly overlapped a bit (visualise a Venn diagram). The transition I am in became less abrupt and simpler to wrap my mind around. This reunion in this place I've called home hasn't only been monumental but is helping me prepare for this re-entry to Canada.
Shift: move or cause to move from one place to another, especially over a small distance
That is the second word I got for the year. I have officially wrapped up my time on staff with Youth With a Mission. In this shift, I have felt tension. I think it's the result of leaving something that I've completely invested in, that has become a part of my story, and now returning to an unknown. In processing, I recognised that I had underlying feelings of guilt about leaving my team, but this is something I've had to release over to God. The ministry we do, the vision for it all, is His. It isn't mine to carry. What has rested in my hands are the choices to love others well in the time that I have. This move doesn't just impact me. The function and dynamic of my team will shift in some ways. In Canada, my parents will be transitioning from empty nesters to having their daughter, and soon, their oldest son, daughter-in-law and grandson all be under the same roof. With heaps of adjustments underway, I've been encouraged that just as there is grace for me in this process, there is grace for others too.
In this space of reflection, I am thankful for all that I couldn't foresee. Being here through the pivotal events occurring internationally and within my family was the best place for me to be. God knew that. I didn't. I would've resisted and likely not come had I been aware. I suppose this is a part of the beauty of our humanity. It allows us to grow in our faith. We don't need to know all the details. He is in them.
As I sit here at my boarding gate in Sydney, it's sinking in that in one more sleep, I'll be back. I spent the last week celebrating this season, packing up, soaking in last hangouts and goodbyes, and debriefing with leadership in Perth. I'm sentimental about leaving Australia until who knows when, and I'm sentimental about being back in Canada after eight hundred and fifty-eight days. Just as He has cared for me here in Australia, He will continue to care for me.
Citrus Twist - D Point Ten Donuts {Broadbeach, Gold Coast}Believe it or not, something that goes into consideration when I plan a holiday is where I can find donuts. After a short tram ride, I picked one out and walked to the beach to enjoy it. This one was a mix of sweet and sour. It had a lemonade glaze and an orange marmalade centre. I highly recommend turning simple things into special moments.
With anticipation, Brooke